YOUR correspondent Phill Thomas can be reassured (Letters, May 3).

Ward committees will continue to decide how much of their budget they wish to devote to additional security patrols in their areas. Some will opt for police community support officers and some for privately-run rangers.

Some will opt for both because they are not mutually exclusive and, indeed, should be complementary.

In a public ballot last year in the Rawcliffe, Skelton and Clifton Without Ward, 76 per cent of local residents gave improved security as their number one priority. That was the second highest level of support recorded in the city.

The funding of these additional community support officers is to come partially from the relevant ward committees, if they wish to take part in the scheme, and the other 50 per cent is from the Home Office.

If Rawcliffe, Skelton and Clifton Without decide not to take up the option of additional patrols then the officers' services will be offered to another ward.

A decision on whether to continue to allocate funding for security patrols in both Skelton and other parts of the city will be put to a public ballot again in the autumn.

Coun Keith Hyman,

Chair of leader executive member advisory panel,

The Old Village,

Huntington, York.

Updated: 08:30 Monday, May 09, 2005